1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.

12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.

17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.

20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.

22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.

25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?

29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

30 And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.

31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.

33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.

34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.

37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.

38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.

40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

1 Now there cryed a certaine woman of the wiues of the sonnes of the Prophets vnto Elisha, saying, Thy seruant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy seruant did feare the Lord: and the creditour is come to take vnto him my two sonnes to be bondmen.

2 And Elisha said vnto her, What shall I doe for thee? Tell mee, what hast thou in the house? And shee sayd, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, saue a pot of oyle.

3 Then hee said, Goe, borrow thee vessels abroad, of all thy neighbours; euen emptie vessels, borrow not a few.

4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the doore vpon thee, and vpon thy sonnes, and shalt powre out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

5 So shee went from him, and shut the doore vpon her, & vpon her sonnes: who brought the vessels to her, and shee powred out.

6 And it came to passe, when the vessels were full, that shee said vnto her sonne, Bring me yet a vessell. And hee said vnto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oyle stayed.

7 Then she came, and told the man of God: and he said, Goe, sell the oyle, and pay thy debt, and liue thou and thy children of the rest.

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and shee constrained him to eate bread: And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, hee turned in thither to eate bread.

9 And shee said vnto her husband, Behold now, I perceiue that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by vs continually.

10 Let vs make a litle chamber, I pray thee, on the wall, and let vs set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stoole, and a candlesticke: and it shall be when he commeth to vs, that hee shall turne in thither.

11 And it fell on a day that hee came thither, and hee turned into the chamber, and lay there.

12 And he said to Gehazi his seruant, Call this Shunammite. And when hee had called her, she stood before him.

13 And he said vnto him, Say, now vnto her, Behold, thou hast beene carefull for vs with all this care; What is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captaine of the hoste? And she answered, I dwell among mine owne people.

14 And he said, What then is to bee done for her? And Gehazi answered, Uerily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the doore.

16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt imbrace a sonne. And she said, Nay my lord, thou man of God, doe not lie vnto thine handmaid.

17 And the woman conceiued, and bare a sonne at that season, that Elisha had said vnto her, according to the time of life.

18 And when the child was growen, it fell on a day that hee went out to his father, to the reapers.

19 And he said vnto his father, My head, my head: and he said to a ladde, Carie him to his mother.

20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, hee sate on her knees till noone, and then died.

21 And she went vp, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the doore vpon him, and went out.

22 And she called vnto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the yong men, and one of the asses, that I may runne to the man of God, and come againe.

23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou goe to him to day? it is neither newe moone nor Sabbath. And shee said, It shalbe well.

24 Then she sadled an asse, and said to her seruant, Driue, and goe forward: slacke not thy riding for mee, except I bid thee.

25 So she went, and came vnto the man of God to mount Carmel: and it came to passe when the man of God saw her afarre off, that hee said to Gehazi his seruant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

26 Runne now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say vnto her, Is it wel with thee? is it wel with thy husband? is it wel with the child? And she answered, It is well.

27 And when shee came to the man of God to the hill, shee caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came neere to thrust her away. And the man of God saide, Let her alone, for her soule is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

28 Then shee said, Did I desire a sonne of my Lord ? did I not say, Doe not deceiue me?

29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird vp thy loines, and take my staffe in thine hand, and goe thy way: if thou meete any man, salute him not: and if any salute thee, answere him not againe: and lay my staffe vpon the face of the childe.

30 And the mother of the childe said, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. And he arose, and followed her.

31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staffe vpon the face of the child, but there was neither voyce, nor hearing: wherefore he went againe to meete him, and tolde him, saying, The child is not awaked.

32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid vpon his bed.

33 He went in therefore, and shut the doore vpon them twaine, and prayed vnto the Lord.

34 And he went vp, and lay vpon the child, and put his mouth vpon his mouth, and his eyes vpon his eyes, and his hands vpon his hands, and he stretched himselfe vpon the child, and the flesh of the child waxed warme.

35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro, and went vp, and stretched himselfe vpon him: and the child neesed seuen times, and the child opened his eyes.

36 And hee called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So hee called her: and when shee was come in vnto him, he said, Take vp thy sonne.

37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed her selfe to the ground, and tooke vp her sonne, and went out.

38 And Elisha came againe to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sonnes of the Prophets were sitting before him: and hee said vnto his seruant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sonnes of the Prophets.

39 And one went out into the field to gather herbes, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wilde gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.

40 So they powred out for the men to eat: and it came to passe as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eate thereof.

41 But he said, Then bring meale. And he cast it into the pot: And he said, Powre out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harme in the pot.

42 And there came a man from Baal-Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twentie loaues of barley, and full eares of corne in the huske thereof: and he said, Giue vnto the people, that they may eate.

43 And his seruitour saide, What should I set this before an hundred men? He said againe, Giue the people, that they may eate: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eate, and shall leaue thereof.

44 So he set it before them, and they did eate, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

I == Lev 25:39 ; 1st Kings 20:35 ; Matt 18:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

III == 2nd Kings 3:16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIII == Josh 19:18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVI == Gen 18:10 , 1 2nd Kings 4:28

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXV == 2nd Kings 2:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXVIII == 2nd Kings 4:16

 

XXIX == Ex 7:19 ; 14:16 ; 1st Kings 18:46 ; 2nd Kings 2:8 , 14 ; 9:1 ; Luke 10:4 ; Acts 19:12

 

XXX == 2nd Kings 2:2

 

XXXI == John 11:11

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXXIII == 1st Kings 17:20 ; 2nd Kings 4:4 ;l Matt 6:6

XXXIV == 1st Kings 17:21 ; Acts 20:10

 

 

 

XXXV == 1st Kings 17:21 ; 2nd Kings 8:1 , 5

 

 

 

 

 

XXXVII == 1st Kings 17:23 ; Heb 11:35

XXXVIII == 2nd Kings 2:1 , 3 ; 8:1 ; Luke 10:39 ; Acts 22:3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XL == Ex 10:17

 

 

 

 

XLI == Ez 15:25 ; 2nd Kings 2:21 ; 5:10 ; John 9:6

 

 

XLII == 1st Sam 9:4 , 7 ; 1st Cor 9:11 ; Gal 6:6

 

 

XLIII == Luke 9:13 , 17 ; John 6:9 , 11

XLIV == Matt 14:20 ; 15:37 ; John 6:13

 

1 A certain woman, the widow of one of the guild prophets, complained to Elisha: "My husband, your servant, is dead. You know that he was a God-fearing man, yet now his creditor has come to take my two children as his slaves."

2 "How can I help you?" Elisha answered her. "Tell me what you have in the house." "This servant of yours has nothing in the house but a jug of oil," she replied.

3 "Go out," he said, "borrow vessels from all your neighbors - as many empty vessels as you can.

4 Then come back and close the door on yourself and your children; pour the oil into all the vessels, and as each is filled, set it aside."

5 She went and did so, closing the door on herself and her children. As they handed her the vessels, she would pour in oil.

6 When all the vessels were filled, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." "There is none left," he answered her. And then the oil stopped.

7 She went and told the man of God, who said, "Go and sell the oil to pay off your creditor; with what remains, you and your children can live."

8 One day Elisha came to Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.

9 So she said to her husband, "I know that he is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often,

10 let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there."

11 Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.

12 Then he said to his servant Gehazi, "Call this Shunammite woman." He did so, and when she stood before Elisha,

13 he told Gehazi, "Say to her, 'You have lavished all this care on us; what can we do for you? Can we say a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?'" She replied, "I am living among my own people."

14 Later Elisha asked, "Can something be done for her?" "Yes!" Gehazi answered. "She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years."

15 "Call her," said Elisha. When she had been called, and stood at the door,

16 Elisha promised, "This time next year you will be fondling a baby son." "Please, my lord," she protested, "you are a man of God; do not deceive your servant."

17 Yet the woman conceived, and by the same time the following year she had given birth to a son, as Elisha had promised.

18 The day came when the child was old enough to go out to his father among the reapers.

19 "My head hurts!" he complained to his father. "Carry him to his mother," the father said to a servant.

20 The servant picked him up and carried him to his mother; he stayed with her until noon, when he died in her lap.

21 The mother took him upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Closing the door on him, she went out

22 and called to her husband, "Let me have a servant and a donkey. I must go quickly to the man of God, and I will be back."

23 "Why are you going to him today?" he asked. "It is neither the new moon nor the sabbath." But she bade him good-bye,

24 and when the donkey was saddled, said to her servant: "Lead on! Do not stop my donkey unless I tell you to."

25 She kept going till she reached the man of God on Mount Carmel. When he spied her at a distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi: "There is the Shunammite!

26 Hurry to meet her, and ask if all is well with her, with her husband, and with the boy." "Greetings," she replied.

27 But when she reached the man of God on the mountain, she clasped his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said: "Let her alone, she is in bitter anguish; the LORD hid it from me and did not let me know."

28 "Did I ask my lord for a son?" she cried out. "Did I not beg you not to deceive me?"

29 "Gird your loins," Elisha said to Gehazi, "take my staff with you and be off; if you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff upon the boy."

30 But the boy's mother cried out: "As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not release you." So he started to go back with her.

31 Meanwhile, Gehazi had gone on ahead and had laid the staff upon the boy, but there was no sound or sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and informed him that the boy had not awakened.

32 When Elisha reached the house, he found the boy lying dead.

33 He went in, closed the door on them both, and prayed to the LORD.

34 Then he lay upon the child on the bed, placing his mouth upon the child's mouth, his eyes upon the eyes, and his hands upon the hands. As Elisha stretched himself over the child, the body became warm.

35 He arose, paced up and down the room, and then once more lay down upon the boy, who now sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite." She came at his call, and Elisha said to her, "Take your son."

37 She came in and fell at his feet in gratitude; then she took her son and left the room.

38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. Once, when the guild prophets were seated before him, he said to his servant, "Put the large pot on, and make some vegetable stew for the guild prophets."

39 Someone went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine, from which he picked a clothful of wild gourds. On his return he cut them up into the pot of vegetable stew without anybody's knowing it.

40 The stew was poured out for the men to eat, but when they began to eat it, they exclaimed, "Man of God, there is poison in the pot!" And they could not eat it.

41 "Bring some meal," Elisha said. He threw it into the pot and said, "Serve it to the people to eat." And there was no longer anything harmful in the pot.

42 A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing the man of God twenty barely loaves made from the first fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said.

43 But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha insisted. "For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'"

44 And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said.

v 1-7. This chapter has five kindly miracles performed by Elisha. The first involves the widow of one of the sons of the prophets coming to Elisha for help, pleading the faithfulness of her husband. She needed to pay off creditors or her two sons would be taken as slaves. As in our own lives, God started with what she had. He said to Moses, Ex. 4:2, “What is that in thine hand?” He told her to borrow many pots from neighbors and pour from her remaining bottle of oil into them. She poured until all the pots were full, then returned to report the miracle. She was told to sell oil to pay off the debts and live on the remainder. If she had borrowed more vessels, she would have had more oil, just as our blessings increase with our faith.

v 8-17. The second was of a wealthy woman who supplied room and board for Elisha when he passed through, asking nothing in return. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, told him she would probably like a son, but when Elisha told her she would have, she thought he was bluffing. She soon found out it was true and she bore a son.

v 18-31. The third  miracle is very similar to the death and healing of the son of the woman of Zarephath by Elijah, 1 Ki. 17:9. The child had followed the reapers to the field, and when he complained about his head, possibly heat stroke, his father had him carried to the house, where he died on his mother’s lap. Without any explanation she asked for the ass to be saddled and rode hard to see Elisha. She refused to explain to Gehazi and grabbed Elisha by the feet in her grief. Gehazi would have thrust her away, but Elisha could tell she had a problem which the Lord had not revealed to him. She implied it had been better if the boy had never been born than to be taken away, so Elijah assumed he had died. Gehazi’s instruction to go in haste and not greet or respond to anyone was due to the Oriental custom of long greetings. The woman refused to leave Elisha until she was sure everything was alright. Gehazi met them and tactfully reported that the boy had not awakened, leaving the impression there was still hope, but laying the staff upon him did not help. Perhaps this was good, all credit would have to go to God, not a fetish or mere symbol of God.

v 32-37. Elisha closed the door on the dead child and himself, and stretched himself upon him, and the flesh of the child became warm. After walking in the house, no doubt praying, he returned and again stretched himself upon the child. This time the child sneezed seven times, signifying God’s action, and opened his eyes. Gehazi was told to summon the woman, and Elisha told her to take up her son. She again fell at Elisha’s feet, this time in gratefulness and worship to God, then took up her son.

v 38-41. The fourth miracle involved a meal with the sons of the prophets. Due to famine they were “living off the land”, but put in some wild gourds they did not know to be poisonous. At their alarm, Elisha had some meal brought which he cast into the pot. It was not the meal, it probably already had some, but the power of God which healed.

V- 42--44. The fifth miracle of this chapter was a smaller scale, but just as real as Jesus feeding the 5000. Being too far from Jerusalem, the first fruits were given to Elisha. The twenty loaves could have been consumed by twenty men, but it increased in volume during the eating so that after feeding 100, there was some left over. God multiplies our limited resources, which the people knew Baal, the god of fertility, could not do.